Tagging machine



March 25, 1969 K. M. GIVEN TAGGING MACHINE Sheet Filed May 2, 1966 K. M. GIVEN TAGGING MACHINE Sheet M or 5 March 25, 1969 Filed May 2, 19 5 March 25, 1969 K. M. GIVEN 3,434,441

TAGGING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1966 March 25, 1969 K. M. GIVEN 3,434,441

TAGGING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1966 March 25, 1969 K. M. GIVEN 3,434,441

TAGGING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1966 sh t 5 March 25, 1969 Filed May 2, 1966 K. M. GIVEN 3,434,441

TAGGING MACHINE 3,434,44l Patented Mar. 25, 1969 US. 'Cl. 112-104 4 Claims ABSC'I OF THE DISCLOSURE A mechanism for tying together loops of thread inserted through plural articles such as hosiery and gloves to join pairs and apply a tag in such a way that the knot is easily untied, but difiicult to retie by hand to prevent dishonest exchange of tags and the need to cut strings to remove such tags.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus and methods for use in attaching tags or labels to articles by means of thread or string.

Tags or tickets are used to indicate such information as price, size, cost, or stock number. They are attached to articles in a variety of ways. Examples of a few of the tags in common use are: pin or staple tickets, adhesive labels, sewn-on labels, button tickets and string tags. Tags are also used to unite paired articles such as gloves.

Tags should be capable of simple mechanized attachment without harm to the goods. They should be easy to remove without risk of damage to the goods. Easy removal is required by the ultimate purchaser of the goods and is required to permit a change of information such as price change prior to sale of the goods.

A tag which is capable of easy removal from one piece of goods and easy attachment by hand to another piece of goods, however, presents a serious retailing problem known as tag switching. All the above tagging techniques excepting sewn-on labels do not effectively prevent a less than honest customer from removing the tag from less expensive goods and afiixing it to the higher priced goods. Sewn-on labels, while preventing tag switching, are not easy to remove since the threads must be cut. Cutting the threads frequently accidentally damages the goods.

String tags comprise a card containing printed information and an attached string to permit tying the tag to the goods. Formerly, such tags have been printed and provided with strings in automatic machinery. However, no suitable commercial apparatus existed to apply the tags to the goods. The tags were necessarily attached by hand. Hand application is slow and expensive and results in an attachment which is easily removable and easily reattachable, thus inviting tag switching.

One objective of the present invention is to provide an improved machine whereby a tag or other article may be provided with a string which is knotted to provide attachment to another article in a manner which avoids the deficiencies of prior tagging techniques.

A further objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus which passes a short length of string or thread through a tag and through an article of merchandise to tightly attach the tag to the article with a knot which is easily untied, yet by virtue of the short length of string, cannot be retied by hand.

A still further objective of this invention is to provide apparatus which passes a thread through a tag and several articles of merchandise and thereafter ties a knot to secure them together.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a method of tying a tag on an article of merchandise which renders the tag easily removable but impossible to reattach by hand.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged detail plan view of the knottying portion of the machine of FIG. 1 as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly in section of the knot-tying mechanism of FIG. 1A and also illustrates the loop-holding mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and illustrates a knotting bill of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and illustrates the knot supporting shouldered pin and knot-tightening bar of the present invention;

FIGS. 5-11 are partial detail views of the loop-holding mechanism shown in FIG. 2 and illustrate the steps in the loop-forming procedure;

FIGS. 12-17 are enlarged perspective detail views of the knot-tying assembly of the present invention, and illustrate the several steps of forming the knot; and

FIG. 18 is a partial view of a tag and a piece of fabric illustrating the completed knot.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the machine of the present invention consists of a base 1 and a frame 2 which support a needle reciprocating mechanism 3, knot-forming mechanism 5, and a thread supply 6 with guide means 7. The 'base 1, frame 2, thread guide 7, and needle reciprocating mechanism 3 are conventional sewing machine devices and are not described in detail. A motor 11 drives the needle reciprocating mechanism 3 through a chain drive 8 and also drives the knot-tying mechanism 5 through a shaft 10 to provide a proper sequence of operation.

The knot-tying mechanism is shown in a top view in FIG. 1A. This mechanism is driven by gear 21 which in turn is driven through appropriate means by motor shaft 10. Gear 21 meshes with gear teeth on revolving member 20 of the knot-tying mechanism. Plate 22 is provided with a hole 23 for receiving the needle and is pivotally associated with revolving member 20 by screw 24 which serves as a bearing. Plate 22 is free to move in an arc and is caused to move by the contact of camming surface 25 with upstanding member 26 once in each revolution of the revolving member 20. Within the central aperture 27 of revolving member 20 is knotting bill and eye former 53.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the knotting mechanism of FIG. 1A is shown from the front. The relationship of the revolving member 20 to the needle 15 is illustrated. Gear teeth of revolving member 20 are shown in mesh with driving gear 21. Knotting bill 50 and eye former 53 are shown within aperture 27 of revolving member 20. Also within aperture 27 is located shouldered pin which is used in the knotting procedure to support the knot as it is formed. Shouldered pin 60 is carried by a vertically reciprocable bar such that the shouldered pin 60 may be elevated and retracted. Surrounding bar 70 is sleeve member 71 which is capable of reciprocal movement with respect to the bar 70 and the frame structure 80. Sleeve member 71 carries two tang elements 72 and 73 which control the functions of knotting bill 50. Sleeve member 71 slides within a stationary guide member 81 which is affixed to frame structure to provide guidance for the reciprocating bar 70 and sleeve member 71. FIG. 2 also shows the location of loop-holding member 40 which is in the shape of a T hook. Loop-holding member 40 is driven in an arcuate path about the axis of shaft 41 in proper sequence by suitable gear means which derive their power from motor shaft 10. The loop-holding member 40 intercepts loops of thread brought down through the tag and fabric by needle 15. Member 40 thus serves the function of the bobbin in a sewing machine.

FIG. 3 shows the knotting bill mechanism as seen from the left side of FIG. 2. Knotting bill 50 is shown with jaws 51 and 52 in an open condiiton. Jaw 51 is capable of vertical reciprocation with respect to jaw 52. Jaw 51 is caused to move downwardly by the engagement of tang 73 of sliding member 71 with member 74 such that downward motion of member 71 causes tang 73 to pull member 74 and associated jaw 51 downward to open the knotting bill. Removal of downward force on tang 73 permits spring 75 to return jaw 51 upwardly to a closed position. Tang 72 is also carried by sliding member 71. Tang 72 moves along camming surface 56 of member 55 which member is associated with jaw 52 of the knotting bill. Member 55 pivots about pin 57 to cause knotting bill 50 to move to the right and to the left as viewed in FIG. 3. Camming surface 56 is shown in solid lines in contact with tang 72 when that tang is in its lowermost position. Knotting bill 50 is shown in its extremity of motion to the right in FIG. 3. The dotted lines in FIG. 3 show the position of camming surface 56 when tang 72 is advanced upwardly to move knotting bill 50 to its extremity of motion to the left. Under these conditons of leftward movement, tang 72 assumes a position illustrated at 72A and tang '73 simultaneously moves upward to allow closure of the jaws 51 and 52.

FIG. 4 shows a structure associated with shouldered pin 60 which is carried by bar 70 for vertical motion. Tang 72 and tang '73 on member 71 extend away from the viewer. Mounted beside shouldered pin 60 and also capable of vertical reciprocal motion is knot-tightener member 61 which is a bar driven upwardly by appropriate gear mechanism in proper sequence to slide the knot toward the tag to tighten the knot.

The machine of the present invention uses a needle mechanism to force a first loop of thread through a tag and one or more articles of merchandise to a point below the tag where the loop-holding member 40 intercepts the thread loop. The needle is withdrawn and reinserted in a location closely adjacent the first loop. The loop carried by the needle on the second pass is also intercepted and retained by the loop-holding member 40. The knotting bill 50 and knot former 53 are then employed to tie a knot in these loops of thread to secure the tag to the article. Thus, the function of the machine is divisible into the steps concerned with inserting and retaining thread loops and the steps of tying a knot with these thread loops.

The operation of the machine will now be described in detail. The operation of the loop-holding means is best described in reference to FIGS. 5-11..

In FIG. 5, the needle 15 is shown with a thread 12 passing through the eye 16 of the needle. The needle in this view is shown after having pierced the tag and the fabric article. The needle is shown moving downward through the needle hole 23 in plate member 22 of the revolving member 20. The loop receiving member 40 hereinafter called the T hook is shown pivoted to the right. FIG. 6 shows the needle proceeding toward the bottom of its downward stroke bearing a loop of thread. The T hook 40 is shown moving to the left to intercept the thread loop.

FIG. '7 shows the needle at the bottom of this first down stroke, and shows the T hook 40 as it begins to pick up the loop of thread from the needle.

FIG. 8 shows a needle as it retreats upwardly after completing its first down stroke. T book 40 is shown in FIG. 8 after moving to the right bearing a retained thread loop.

FIG. 9 shows the tag and the article after slight displacement to the right. This displacement may be performed manually by the operator, or by a conventional fabric advancing mechanism such as is used in a sewing machine. The needle in FIG. 9 is shown descending for the second down stroke. The thread loop produced by the first down stroke is retained by the T hook 40. FIG. 10 shows the needle continuing in its second down stroke and shows the T hook 4t) pivoting to the left to pick up a second loop of thread. FIG. 11 shows the T hook 40 hearing both thread loops and shows the needle retreating upwardly after completing the second down stroke.

The tag and the fabric article have thus been provided with a thread 12 which twice passes through them and results in two loops below the fabric. A knot tying these loops together will hold the tag to the fabric.

The loops may be cut to any suitable length; short for the tying of a simple half-hitch, or longer for the tying of a half-bow. The loops are cut to facilitate removal of the four strands from the T hook. Such cutting may be accomplished by an appropriate knife blade (not shown). The cutting is not essential to the operation of the machine of the present invention. It is merely an expedient way to remove the loops from the T hook. Where desirable to retain the strands as loops it would be a simple matter to equip the T hook with means such as a sliding wedge to cast the loops off the T hook.

The operation of the knotting mechanism shown in FIGS. 1A to 4 is best illustrated in the simplified views of FIGS. 12-17. FIG. 12 shows the status of operation of FIG. 11. The thread has passed twice through the tag and fabric to for-m the two loops retained by the T hook 40. The four strands which comprise the two loops pass through needle hole 23 in the plate 22 which is pivotally mounted on revolving member 20. Countercloekwise rotation of the revolving member will cause the strands to deploy in an eye about the eye former 53. Removal of the strands from T hook would occur at this point in the sequence of operation. For example, loops would be cut to produce strands of a length appropriate for the knot to be tied.

FIGS. 13-17 show a single strand depending from the tag and article. This is done for clarity since illustration of four strands would be confusing and since all four strands follow the same path. A single strand is sufiicient for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 13 shows the same status of the procedure as FIG. 12 but with a single strand for clarity. Shouldered pin 60 is now raised for receiving and supporting the eye of the knot to be formed in the subsequent steps.

FIG. 14 shows the initial phase of forming an eye about the eye former member 53 and knotting bill 50. The revolving member 20 is shown after completing a counterclockwise revolution thereby carrying the strands under the lower jaw 51 of knotting bill 50. As can be seen from FIG. 1a revolution of the revolving member 20 will cause needle hole 23 to pass under the knotting bill 50. When approximately /3 of a revolution has occurred, eye former 53 intercepts camrning surface 28 of member 22 thus causing the needle hole 23 to move radially outward to permit the thread strands to be carried about the eye former. As revolving member 20 continues to rotate, plate 22 is camrned radially inward by upstanding member 26 and then driven radially outwardly by contact with the now raised shouldered pin 60 thereby depositing the strands on the shouldered pin. The strands of thread are deployed in a horizontal loop which is supported by raised shouldered pin 60. The revolving member 20 continues to rotate until the needle hole 23 has moved past the knotting bill 50.

FIG. 15 shows the same status of the procedure as is illustrated in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 shows the eye former apparatus from the side. Knotting bill is shown within the eye formed in the strands. Shouldered pin supports the strands in front of the jaw of the knotting bill. The knotting bill will now be caused to move to the right toward that portion of the strands which lie between the shouldered pin 60 and the needle hole 23. The jaws 51 and 52 of the bill will be opened so that the bill may receive and grip that portion of the strands. The mechanism for moving the bill forward and opening the jaws is illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 16 again shows eye former apparatus from the front and shows the supported strands as they are gripped by the knotting bill in its forward position.

FIG. 17 shows the knotting bill as it retreats back to the rearward position shown in FIG. carrying with it that portion of the strands which extended between the shouldered pin 60 and the needle hole 23. As the knotting bill pulls gripped portion of the strands back through the eye, the eye slips off the eye former to result in a loose knot. As can be seen, a knot has thus been formed and is carried by the shouldered pin. FIG. 17 shows the knot-tightening member 61 as it moves upwardly behind the raised shouldered pin to push the newly formed knot from the shouldered pin toward the tag and fabric thereby tightening the knot against the fabric. The strands are then released from the knotting bill.

The knot illustrated in the foregoing description is a half-bow. Where a half-hitch is desired, the depending loops would be cut to a shorter length such that the cut end of the strands would be pulled entirely through the eye of the knot by the knotting bill. The cut end would be adjacent the right side of the knotting bill 50 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 shows the completed knot after the knot tightening member 61 has pushed the knot up to the fabric to tighten the knot against the fabric. The knot illustrated in FIG. 18 is a half-bow.

The completed knot thus holds the tag to the article in such a way that a tug on the cut end of the strands will untie the knot for removal of the tag. It is apparent that such a knot cannot be manually retied with such short strands. It is further apparent that the thread can only be passed through the tag and the fabric with a needle.

The machine of the present invention as described rapidly afiixes tags to articles in a manner which provides a secure attachment which is easily removable and is not subject to tag switching. The tagging operation can be performed by this machine far more rapidly than the hand typing of conventional string tags.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of attaching articles to each other comprising the steps of:

(a) passing a first loop through the articles and through a horizontally revolvable member by means of a needle,

(b) retaining the first loop with a loop-holding means,

(c) passing a second loop through the articles at a position adjacent the first passage and through the revolvable member,

(d) retaining the second loop with the loop-holding means,

(e) freeing the loops from the loop-holding means,

(f) causing revolution of the revolving member to form with the loops an eye about an eye former, a knotting bill, a shouldered pin, and a knot tightening member,

(g) causing the knotting bill to grip near the leading portion of the loops,

(h) moving the knotting bill to draw the gripped portion through the eye to form a knot,

(i) raising the tightening member to tighten the knot against the articles, and

(j) releasing the grip of the knotting bill.

2. Apparatus for inserting loops through articles comprising a reciprocating needle for inserting at least two loops at adjacent positions in the articles, means for holding the inserted loops and knotting means including eye forming means, a member through which the loops are passed which member is capable of rotation in a plane parallel to and proximate to the articles to form an eye about the eye forming means with a portion of the inserted loops, a knotting bill having gripping jaws and capable of movement through the eye to draw portions of the loops through the eye to form a knot at a position near the articles.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the knotting means includes a shouldered pin adapted to support the eye as the knot is formed.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shouldered pin has associated therewith a vertically movable member which is raised to lift the knot from the shouldered pin and tighten the knot against the article.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,855,541 4/1932 Bamkin 112156 3,111,920 11/1963 Hedegaard 1-12104 3,252,725 5/ 1966 Matthews et al 289-18 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 112l56; 28918 

